Automatic tracker for piano-players.



E. T. TURNEY.

AUTOMATIC TRACKER FOR PIANO PLAYERS.

APPLICATION men AUG-22,1914.

1,250,722. Patented Dec.18,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I. H F

88 8 I nvmvron A ATTORNEY E. T. TURNEY.

AUTOMATIC TRACKER FOR PIANO PLAYERS.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

2 SIIEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-22. I914.

INI/E/VTOR may MMOMH UNI TED sTATEs PATENT orr on EUGENE '1, TUBNEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PLAYER vAG'JFIOIN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

, AUTOMATIC TRACKER FOR PIAN'QTLAYERS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 18 1917.

Application filed August 22,1914. Serial No. 858,039.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE T. TURNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Trackers for Piano-Players, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention aims to provide certain improvements in means for automatically insuring the correct tracking of the music sheet in piano players and similar instruments.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the spool box and related parts;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the same;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the pneumatic or bellows;

Figs. 4 and 5 are horizontal sections of the driving and the driven music roll spindles. v

The music roll A is located between a driving spindle B and a free spindle C; the roll A having a notch which fits a squared end B of the driving spindle B and having a tapered recess at the opposite end to fit the spindle C. The latter is adapted to yield to the left, as hereinafter described, to permit the introduction of the music roll. The music passes from the music roll A to the feeding or winding-on roll D which is constantly driven, so that the music sheet passes over the tracker board E in a downward direction. The note openings F in the sheet should register with the openings F in the tracker bar and this invention provides a mechanism for maintaining correct registration.

In my Patent No. 1,198,291 dated Sept.

12, 1916, I have described a mechanism for accomplishing this purpose and have illustrated the same by means of a tracker which is shiftable to the right or to the left to maintain its note openings in register with those of the sheet. The present invention provides a mechanism for shifting the music roll A and thus shifting the sheet to bring it in correct register with the tracker, the latter being fixed.

The control is effected by the passage of the edge of the sheet over a'guide-opening G which is located at any suitable point over which the margin of the sheet passes. In

the present case the guide-opening is formed in a block H located at the end of the tracker boardE and adjustable to the right and left by means of a knurled nut J exposed at the front of the apparatus,-this being the same arrangement of the guideopeningas is described in my application above referred to and also in my Patent No. 1,056,858. I

The edge of the music sheet K will always tain the latter partially covered. and to permit a passage of air therethrough. A tube L (Fig. 2) passes from the guide-opening G to a bellows or pneumatic L which isv fixed on the back of the spool box, the tube "L leading to a passage'M which communicates with the interior of the bellows. The 1 bellows is provided with an outlet passage N covered by a bleed hole 0 and communicating through a pipe P with a vacuum or wind chest Q in which a vacuum is constantly maintained during the operation of the player. As the uncovered area of the guide-opening G becomes greater or less than the area of the bleed hole 0 the bellows will expand by the increase of pressure (lessening of suction) or contract by the lessening of pressure (or. increase of suction). v The spindle C which receives the left hand end of the music roll is constructedto yield and to press the roll to the right into engagement with the spindle at the opposite end and to exert a pressure ultimately upon the bellows to expand the same. The spindle C is shouldered as indicated in- Fig. 5 and bears against a spring R within a housing carried in the side T of the spool box. A collar U limits the outward movement of the spindle; The opposite spindle B passes through the opposite side V of the spoolv box and is supported by bearing arms W and X which project forward from a casting Y which is fastened on the right hand wall V of the spool box and which carries the mechanism for winding and rewinding. The spindle B is splined in a wheel Z which serves as a brake wheel and which has a tooth a for engagement with a clutch. The brake or clutch wheel Z is formed with a. grooved hub b projecting at one side, the grooveof which is engaged with a pin 0 (Fig. 2) projecting forward from the casting Y. which carries the driving gear; so

run over the guide-openingG so as to mainlever f. The clutch ring (Z is connected with a sprocket wheel g driven constantly from the motor shaft through a chain 72,. On the outer end of the spindle B is a collar j fas tened by a set screw and adapted to limit the inward movement of the spindle B by striking the bearing The spindle B, when there is a roll of music inthe machine, is pressed always to the right by means of the spring on the opposite spindle C. In the playing of a sheet of music the clutch (Z' is in the right hand position so that the spindle allows the roll to turn freely as the music sheet is drawn 0H- it'by the winding roll. After a sheet has been played the clutch is shifted to the left sufficiently to bring it into contact with the pin a on the wheel Z so that the latter, and through it the spindle B, are turned backward to rewind the sheet on the roll.

The bellows L in its collapsingmovement tends to press the spindle B and the music rollto the left against the resistance of the spring acting on the spindle C. An arm 7-; is mounted on the movable member of the bellows and extends beyond the same to a point to the right of the wall V of the spool box. Near its end a link Z passes through it and carries a button m with a curved face bearing against the lever, the button being screwed on the end of the link to secure any desired adjustment. The link passes through the back n ofthe spool box and is pivotal'ly connected: to an arm 0 of a lever which is pivoted at p upon the top of the casting Y and which has an obliquely and: forwardly projecting arm the end of Which is provided with a downwardly projecting arm 1" which engages the rounded outer end ofthe spindle B.

As the sheet travels downward over the tracker bar its edge normally covers a portion of the guide-opening G. There is a constant suction in the bellows and air is therefore sucked in through the uncovered portion of the guide opening If the sheet shifts to the right it covers a greater area, of the guide-opening, air is admitted to the bellows Lf slower than it is withdrawn through the bleed opening 0, the force of the suction within the bellows is increased, the arnr 7c is swungoutwardor to the rear, pulling the link Z and arm 0 in the same rlirection, the arm 9 and its depending flange rare shifted to the left and the spindle B- and' music roll A are pushed to the left, the spring spindle C yielding in proportion to th increased force exerted by'the bellows, and thus the sheet is shifted to the left to correct the divergence which occurred. On

the other hand, if the sheet shifts to the left beyond the exactly balanced position it uncovers a greater area of the guide-opening, admits airto the bellows faster than it is sucker. through the bleed hole, the suction of the bellows'is lessened and the spring forces the spindle C and music roll A to the right sufliciently to correct the divergence which occurred. In theory there is a constant error and correction, but in practice the correction occurs practically. simultaneously with the occurrence of the error so that the path of the edge of the sheet instead of being a broken. or. waving line is a straight line. I

As the sheet has a wider or a narrower margin the block H carrying the guideopening G is shifted to the right or to. the left, the tube L being flexible to permit such movement. This movement, however, is very slight. The adjustment, if any is necessary, is made at the beginning of the;

passage of aroll of music and is not therer after altered for that roll.

The apparatus is adapted to be, used with a variety .ofdriving gears. In the construction illustrated the winding-on. roll hason one end a gear Wheel s meshing with a. pinion t having long. teeth, soas tobe in, engagement in all positions of adjustment and mounted loosely on the. driving shaft 14 upon Which is splined a hubo having. a groove engaged by a fork in th lower end of the clutch lever f and carrying a sprocket wheel to which drives the chain 72,. The shaft; u is coupled to the constantly driven. shaft 00 of the motor so that the lower sprocket wheel w,chain h and upper sprocket wheel with clutch rings, are constantly rotated. When. the clutchJlever f'has its lower end swung to the. left then. the lower. clutch ring ens gagesthe pinion z? and drives the winding.- on roller, the music roll spindle B. being left free to rotate except as it braked by the usual: brake 2 bearing against the brake wheel Z. Then the. clutch lever. has its lower end shifted to the right the-pinion 23',

gear 8 and. winding-on roll Dare left free with onev of itsperforations F registering with the proper perforationF in the tracker bar. The apparatus isof extremesimplicity and can be applied to existing players with almost no alteration of the remaining mechanism. It is only necessary to make. thespindle B slidable in its bearings and to add: the simple bellows L at the back ofnthe.

frameand: the lever and. link connections with. this bellows v tothe exposed: ends; o-f'the spindle B. The location of the bellows L upon thebackof the frame permits of bring ing it very close to the guide-opening G so that the passage L between them is extremely short and the response of the bel-- lows to any variation in the uncovered area of the guide-opening is very quick. The bellows also is located close to the spindle B upon which it is to operate so that the connecting parts are extremely light and simple. The spring which is already common or the spindle C is put to an additional use in pressing constantly against the collapsing force of the bellows. The only tracking mechanism visible to the user sitting in front of the machine (see Fig. 1,) is the small lever 0 9; so that in appearance it is far simpler and more attractive than other tracking mechanisms in use.

\Vhat I claim is 1. The combination with the spool box of a piano player of tracking control mechanism including a part having a guide-opening, a pneumatic mounted behind the spool box and close to said part and connected by a short passage to said guide-opening so as to respond quickly to any variation in the uncovered area of said guide-opening, a suction device communicating with said pneumatic through a bleed hole of fixed open area, adjusting means at the front of the spool box adapted to adjust the lateral relation between the sheet and the guideopening, an arm mounted on the movable member of said pneumatic and located close to and in the rear of said adjusting means,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the means for transmitting a collapsing movement of said pneumatic through said arm and adjusting means to the music roll to shift it in one direction, and a spring tending to move the music roll in the opposite direction.

2. The combination with the spool box of a piano player of tracking control mechanism including a part having a guide-opening, a pneumatic mounted behind the spool box and close to said part and connected by a short passage to said guide-opening so as to respond quickly to any variation in the uncovered area of said guide-opening, a. suction device communicating with said pneumatic through a bleed hole of fixed open area, a music roll spindle 13 adapted to move longitudinally, a lever engaging said spindle, an arm mounted on the movable member of said pneumatic located close to and in the rear of said lever; a link connecting said lever directly with said arm, so that the collapsing movement of the pneumatic moves said spindle and the music roll in one direction, and a spring tending to move the music roll and said spindle in the opposite direction.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE T. TURNEY.

Witnesses:

D. ANTHONY USINA, LULU STUBENVOLL.

"Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

